The Evidence-Backed Sexual Abuse Complaint the Media Won’t Tell You About

by Brian McNicollon September 20, 2018

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We’ve heard all about Christine Blasey Ford and her charges that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh groped her at an alcohol-fueled teen party in the early 1980s.

But we’ve heard almost nothing about Rep. Keith Ellison, co-chairman of the Democratic Party and candidate for attorney general of Minnesota. Accusations he physically abused his former girlfriend are far more documented.

Thursday’s Washington Post carries four news stories, four opinion pieces and an unsigned editorial on various aspects of the Kavanaugh dustup. But not a word about Ellison.

The New York Times has three news stories on the Kavanaugh-Ford controversy, including one in which it attempts to “debunk myths” in Ford’s favor. It also has two columns and an unsigned editorial urging Republicans to slow the confirmation process. But not a word about Ellison.

Among the documents Monahan made public was one from last Nov. 28 that read, in part: “She states that she was in a very stressful environment for years, emotional and physical abuse by a partner with whom she is now separated. … She identifies the individual she was involved with as congressman Ellison, and she is worried about retribution if she identifies him publicly.”

A story from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the largest newspaper in Ellison’s home state, documents the release of the hospital report. The article quotes the accompanying tweet: “Here is one of my Dr. visits stating the abuse that occurred. It amazes me the measures people have to take for their humanity to be validated.”

A poll taken last week showed that 21 percent of Minnesotans believed Monahan’s charges, 22 percent did not and 57 percent did not know for sure.

CNN has not written about Ellison and the allegations since Aug. 14, the day after he won the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party nomination for attorney general — and then, only to say he had won despite the allegations.

Marans wrote that all but a few Democrats had stayed silent on the allegations, contrary to their defense of Ford.

“Their reticence to speak reflects a desire to see more evidence before judging his guilt, rather than an interest in shielding him from scrutiny, top progressives said privately.”

The only news outlets that appear to have covered any of these new revelations in print were Fox News, the Washington Examiner and the Washington Times, all conservative news organizations, and CBS News, which covered it on its nightly newscast and posted the video to YouTube.

“’No, they don’t,’ Monahan tweeted in response to a question whether the party believes women’s stories about misconduct. “’I’ve been smeared, threatened, isolated from my own party. I provided medical records from 2017, stating on two different Dr. Visits, I told them about the abuse and who did it. My therapist released records stating I have been dealing and healing from the abuse.”

Monahan said Ellison screamed obscenities at her and dragged her off of a bed by her feet. He also said she has video to prove it. Ellison has said this video can’t exist because he “never behaved that way.”

Brian McNicoll

Brian McNicoll is Editor of Accuracy in Media. He is a former newspaper editor, think tank writer and Capitol Hill staffer, is a conservative writer and editor in Reston, Va.